White Nationalists Reappear in Charlottesville in Torch-Lit Protest

On Twitter, Mayor Mike Signer of Charlottesville urged the demonstrators to “Go home!”

Another despicable visit by neo-Nazi cowards. You’re not welcome here! Go home! Meantime we’re looking at all our legal options. Stay tuned.

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Mike Signer (@MikeSigner)
Oct. 8, 2017

“Another despicable visit by neo-Nazi cowards,” Mr. Signer tweeted on Saturday night. “You’re not welcome here!”

His comments drew fire from supporters of the protesters on Twitter. On Sunday morning, Mr. Signer wrote that “if you want to see the alt-right in action, check out my feed,” adding, “But brace yourself, it’s ugly.”

Good morning, trolls and bots. Everyone else: if you want to see the alt-right in action, check out my feed. But brace yourself, it’s ugly.

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Mike Signer (@MikeSigner)
Oct. 8, 2017

A video posted by Mr. Spencer showed dozens of people — mostly men in white collared shirts — marching with lit torches through downtown Charlottesville toward Emancipation Park, where a statue of the Confederate general Robert E. Lee remained under a tarp while it awaits removal.

The video also showed that the demonstrators chanted and listened to brief speeches before leaving the park.

“We got in and out, there were no injuries, no major confrontations,” Mr. Spencer said in another video posted on Twitter. “We came in peace tonight. It was a great success, and we’re going to do it again.”

Charlottesville 3.0 was as success. pic.twitter.com/c18ktP0MWD

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Richard ☝Spencer (@RichardBSpencer)
Oct. 8, 2017

Mr. Spencer also sent one seemingly sarcastic tweet to Mr. Signer, saying, “It was great to be back” and inviting him to “catch up next time we’re in town.”

The governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, said on Twitter that officials were “monitoring this situation” and would “oppose these racists and their message of hate.”

We are monitoring this situation as we continue to oppose these racists and their message of hate. https://t.co/DHGkA3UMyc

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Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe)
Oct. 8, 2017

Charlottesville has become a popular place for members of the alt-right, a fringe movement that embraces white nationalism and a range of racist positions, to gather because of controversy surrounding the Lee statue. In addition to the white nationalist rallies, members of the Ku Klux Klan rallied in Charlottesville in July to protest the statue’s removal.

The City Council voted narrowly in April to remove the statue of Lee. But in May, a Circuit Court judge issued a six-month injunction to halt its removal after a collection of individuals and groups — including the Virginia chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans — filed a lawsuit against the city.

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Nobel Prize in Economics Awarded to Richard H. Thaler

The Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to Richard H. Thaler for his work in behavioral economics.

According to the Nobel website, Richard Thaler explored the consequences of limited rationality, social preferences, and lack of self-control. “He has shown how these human traits systematically affect individual decisions as well as market outcomes. His contributions have built a bridge between the economic and psychological analyses of individual decision-making.”

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